Perfect Beauty will be the continuation of our already existing coverage of Temples in Thailand on www.chimburi.com.
While we continue to cover temples with a brief description and two photos we will share more stories and photos about our experiences within those temples on this blog. All photos are copyrighted. Remember - stealing is bad karma!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Most temples in the Kingdom of Thailand arranged special activities and prayers over the year-end 2013. Instead of partying at the well known spots in Bangkok, many locals stream to the temples to make donations and make wishes for the New Year.

This year we went to Wat Arun during the daytime and again in the evening for the "cross-voer night prayer". An estimated 5000 people joined the prayers this year. Monks and laypeople joined in the chanting from 22:00 to 24:00 around the Prang of the temple (the pagoda).

The atmosphere was amazing throughout the day and evening. For a short time we also went over to Wat Anongkharam where many of our friends were. It was a bit more quiet here, but nevertheless as festive and special to join in the cross-over night prayer.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Now that is sad! Just as we visited Wat Suwannaram again for the first time in 4 years we almost have to witness the fire which burned down the abbot's quarters and damaged some important Buddha images. We basically just got there hours after and saw the damage up close. Very sad. Wat Suwannaram put a lot of effort into the renovation of the temple. The burned down units are behind the temple were visitors would usually not pass by, but since we walked from one temple to the next we passed right by it.

Luckily the rest of the temple is in perfect condition and unlike our first visit, the Ubosot hall was open and we did not have to ask around to get access. The beautiful Sukhothai-style Buddha called Phra
Sasada was perfectly lit and all the temple murals were as impressive as on your last visit.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Isn't lying inside the temple causing really bad karma? I went to Wat
Sri Sudaram today, asked to rent a Buddha image from this temple here.
The guy at the temple shop showed me only three from THIS temple, Wat
Sri Sudaram, but I did not have my glasses with me, so all I could see
is that the name of the temple was different. ... Wat Chang Hai...the
guy told me that was the old name of the temple. So, I rented it, and
when back in the Hotel i put my glasses on and saw that it
was from ....yes...the province of Pattani!! I am not even certain that
the date 2537 is correct! If any of you MCU students know the abbot of
Wat Sri Sudaram, please let him know that the people in his temple lie
and cheat. I know you are taking your buses from this temple to Wang
Noi, so I am sure you have contacts in this temple. It's a Luang Phu
Thuad image and has nothing to do with Wat Sri Sudaram at all!

So, that is really all about this temple...I had looked forward to visiting it for a long time, and finally did see it in January 2014. All the buildings were closed except for the small Viharn at the entrance. But this experience with renting the Buddha image really turned me off..Just be aware and don't trust people in there if you happen to go!

About Me

Exploring the world and it's different cultures. Mainly traveling to SE Asia nowadays, including Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia (Bali and Java). BayonSmiles blog focussing on Cambodia, Angkor and Khmer temples. Our journeys to the Mekong have their own blog now and MySightsNPlaces is a more broader blog on our Asian experiences. Chimburi blog will give you the insights of Thai temples and focus on Buddhist subjects.
All content and images are copyrighted material.